Dave O’Brien Comes Out In Support of FOX Soccer’s Gus Johnson

Dave O’Brien, the sports announcer who still gives soccer fans nightmares after his dreadful World Cup 2006 calls, has come out in support of FOX Soccer’s Gus Johnson.

The promotion of Gus Johnson to FOX Soccer’s lead commentator has been met with a mixed response from soccer fans. Many have been energized by the addition of the basketball announcer to the broadcast of the world’s game. At the same time, there has been a lot of vocal opposition to his appointment from viewers who believe the quality of commentating has dipped as a result of Johnson being added.

“First of all, I think it is an inspired choice. Gus is a mainstream sports guy like me and not the first announcer I’d expect to call the World Cup. But I heard the same thing in 2006.

“There are soccer fans in the U.S. who are Premier League devotees and [are] used to British accents on game calls. There is a perception among those fans that that group of play-by-play announcers are the only ones who can best understand the game and interpret what is happening in the match. I have always disagreed with that. As long as the matches are well done and they are broadcast well, I would not care [about] the accent or nationality of the individual calling the game.

“But I think it’s a smart move to have this long of a run-up for Gus. That will benefit him tremendously. I think much of the criticism leveled at me and ESPN was predetermined. Gus has to be true to himself. Not everyone is going to love him and that’s just a fact of life when you are an American calling soccer.”

Not surprisingly, I think O’Brien has it completely wrong. It’s not the accent that is the issue. It’s a combination of knowledge, experience and authenticity that is lacking from Gus Johnson’s two games so far, and was severely lacking from O’Brien’s pitiful commentating in 2005-06.

My stance is that FOX Soccer should hire the best talent for the job. That doesn’t mean it has to be an Englishman or a Scot. It could be an American or someone from another country. Quality needs to be the main priority, not nationality.

In the case of both Gus Johnson and Dave O’Brien, the gulf in talent between those two and most soccer commentators is vast (although, to be fair, Johnson is miles better than O’Brien ever was). Johnson will improve over time, and shows far more potential than O’Brien had. But while FOX Soccer continues with the Johnson experiment, the level of commentating quality has certainly taken a nose dive.

In a recent interview with Men In Blazers, Johnson responded to some of the criticism and said that some people are fearful of change. I welcome change, but it needs to be an improvement over the status quo. Expecting a soccer novice to be dropped into the Santiago Bernabeu or Emirates Stadium and to deliver a world-class commentary is unrealistic. And at the end of the day, everyone loses. Gus Johnson does the best he can, but makes mistakes. Soccer fans feel disrespected because we’ve been given a sub-par commentary experience. And FOX Soccer has egg on its face.

I get what FOX Soccer (or is it FOX Sports executive Eric Shanks) is trying to do, but the execution of the idea has been poor. I’m open to Johnson being the new voice of soccer in the United States, but he needs time and patience to improve. Putting him center stage in such high profile matches is, I believe, the wrong strategy. He’ll learn, but we as soccer fans will have to suffer along the way.

It’s not an attack on Gus Johnson. It’s wanting what is best for the soccer fan, the viewer.

About The Author

Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.

70 Comments

Dean StellFebruary 20, 2013

I hate this idea that accept matters and how some people imply that people don’t like someone like O’Brien or Gus just because they don’t have a non-American accent.

The thing that Gus suffers from is not being able to add to our enjoyment of the minute-to-minute action because he doesn’t understand it well enough himself.

Now….he might fix that. I’m a newer fan myself so I’m sensitive to this idea that you can’t ever become knowledgeable if you didn’t grow up with the sport. Of course you can……but you have a LOT of catching up to do. If this is Gus’ fulltime job, he should be able to watch 2 matches per day and then discuss them with smarter people. Eventually he’ll learn what to look for and start to have his own opinions.

But…the thing is that we’re watching Gus’ learning process live on TV. He really should have to do the work first.

I should also add to this thought part of my own experience as an example.

Example: I write a few columns for EPLTalk. BUT…I’m a newer fan, my knowledge of tactics and performances is still limited to hearing smart people talk about things and recognizing them myself. I’m starting to have my own ideas and I’ll figure it out. Give me some time and I’ll be surprisingly good. BUT….in the interim, I’m not going to write tactics pieces for EPLTalk because I just don’t have anything THAT interesting to say. So….I write about wiping up vomit with scarves and stuff like that. 🙂

Frill you are you seriously comparing watching the game to eating. Let me make it very clear for you, FOX currently owns the rights in the USA to the Premiership so there is no choice as a view if you want to see the game unless as the Gaffer pointed out you want to go the illegal route. Frill are you advocating going illegal?

The difference is that if I don’t like Jean George I can go to Daniel there is a real and legal choice there. I hope this clears that up for you.

On to your other point, the Gaffer was pretty fair with Gus and like the rest of us his main complaint was and remains the fact that FOX gives a novice the CL and other top games to call so that the viewing audience has to suffer as he “learns and hones” his skill, why should we have to deal with that? They don’t just let a novice heart surgeon start operating on his own do they?

After listening to Alan Parry announce today’s match between Barca and Milan, I have tried to formulate in my mind what is the difference between him (or Tyler, Darke, Champion) and Johnson (or any number of less proficient announcers). I cannot adequately put it into words, but I will try.

I will use Johnson as my comparison, but it pertains to many more than just him. When Johnson says a descriptive word…Parry uses a sentence. When Johnson uses a descriptive sentence…Parry uses a paragraph. When Johnson uses a paragraph…Parry delivers a chapter in a book. All in the same time frame.

Superior athletes say all the time that the difference between their high level of performance and when they began is the speed of the game. When they first started, the game moved so fast that they were unable to keep up. They were alway chasing the game. As they became more proficient, the game slowed down and they were better able to read the game, to anticipate and to make better decisions and execute better. All in the same time frame.

In my opinion this is just one of the issues that confronts Johnson. Currently, the game is far too fast for him. He is always chasing the game.

A bigger issue is his grasp of game strategy, its participants, the enormity of the event and the games’ history. These are areas that the best announcers have spent their lifetimes developing. Their whole lives have been their classroom…not a couple of months in a studio or sitting next to a co-commentator…or playing a pick-up game.

In addition, what makes this so frustrating is that the best announcers are available. The matches that Johnson is calling are also being called by the Parry’s and the Tyler’s, etc. And they are…and will be available to Fox.

With these other top flight announcers available, comparing Johnson to them is valid. It’s not like comparing Messi to Pele. Pele doesn’t play any longer…and Messi isn’t available.

I can’t comprehend the enormity of the task at hand for Johnson. I don’t know if I would expect anyone to succeed starting from where he is and the competition he is being compared to.

Great comments… Listening to Alan Parry today just shows the difference in the gulf of quality between Johnson and Parry. I agree with the comment that it is fair to compare Johnson to the Parry’s and the Tyler’s because they ARE available to Fox and its their call to use Johnson in their experiment.

BA you really do not have a clue if you make a statement like basketball and footie are “pretty similar”. The speed of the games are different they have a very different cadence and more importantly you have to cover a 45 minutes straight no time outs no commercial breaks, no time to recover. Less reliance on stats etc.

How would you like your precious basketball done in footie terms? I thought not. What a numpty comment!!

Prior to yesterday’s game I did not know FOX was switching things up. (Liverpool fan – don’t really play big games anymore *sobs*). The experience I had drove me to find out what was going on and I read a number of posts on this site. Throughout the broadcast I wondered why are FOX messing with a winning formula? There were clear instances in the game that indicated Gus does not understand the game and you cannot just get 30-40 years of experience of football overnight like Martin Tyler, Alan Parry et al have. He would get excited at moments where an experienced eye could clearly see nothing was going to come from an attack. It felt like he was reading his stats, info etc and it just was not natural. I cannot understand why you would choose to put someone with no tactical knowledge, no anecdotes or big game football experience on commentary on big games for the sake of an accent. As an Englishman I have no problem with an American or any nationality commentating as long as they know the game, the problem was, just from the one game I have seen, Gus is not the man. Would you want Martin Tyler commentating on the NFL? I am really hoping when the forthcoming change happens, NBC use quality, experienced commentators who understand the game and we can leave FOX to its experiments.

The difference between the British commentators and Gus Johnson, et al, is that the British guys have learned that your voice is always going to be behind the action. If a goal is scored the live TV pictures and the reaction of the crowd is going to beat you every time

Watch next time a goal is scored. The more experienced commentators will be much more relaxed. For the viewer I’ve seen that the goal has been scored, or just missed. Now I want some reaction to what I’ve just seen – or some tactical analysis from someone smarter than me to tell me what is special about what I’ve just seen or why it happened. Nationality or accent should be no barrier to getting the commentary job and I can understand the reasoning behind putting someone in place 18 months before the World Cup so that they have time to gain experience. I guess that it is figured that any fans are going to watch the matches whoever is commentating. I’m not sure that it’s a great strategy though, if you’ve made your living calling other sports why would you change your style now? Commentary of a basketball game is very different to commentary of a soccer game

I debated getting involved simply because at this point it’s akin to the cliche of “beating a dead horse.”

I am writing in hopes that someone from FOX Soccer is actually reading these comments and attempting to understand where fans of the sport are coming from. Having someone like Gus Johnson coming in is fine with me if they are brought in and gradually given opportunities throughout a season.
If they wanted an American voice (which I’m fine with) then they should have started it on day one. FOX should have used him in smaller matches throughout the season. There were plenty of chances for him to learn the game by both sitting alongside other commentators as well as broadcasting for some decent matches earlier on (such as Reading v Stoke on day one, plenty of chances to see what the EPL is like).

What blows my mind is their choice to throw him in, like a sheep to wolves, in two of the biggest matches of the season. Even more baffling is their choice to already slot him in to the two matches that will most definitely be the biggest of the season in the finals for the FA Cup and Champions League.

I don’t have a problem with hearing an American accent in either match while watching here in America. What I do have a problem with is exactly what is outline here (and other articles): his absolute lack of experience and knowledge of the game in general and the larger history surrounding matches. I have followed the EPL for nearly 15 years now and there is still so much history that I have missed out on.

If my job was to be a full time commentator I would be spending even more of my time working on my knowledge of the sport. I felt like his second go of it in the Arsenal match was even worse than the first, and I agree that it came down to a lack of knowledge.

A shorter version of this comment would have been: why didn’t FOX start using him at the start of the season for smaller matches and help him build his repertoire? Instead they have thrown him in to what is becoming a no-win situation for everyone.

the thing is, Gus Johnson is a very average announcer, not just for soccer, but for all sports he’s worked on. he doesn’t know soccer well enough, the nuances, history, to make his broadcasts even remotely interesting. if Fox Soccer wants to bring in somebody like Johnson, then one would hope for something ‘new’ to be brought to the table, which he does not. I’d be happier bringing in a total wildcard like Monday Night Football did with Dennis Miller, than bring in such an average broadcaster when there are so many more available that are just simply better. as for Dave O’Brien, he has no business saying anything about this at all, and with his lack of credibility, if I were Gus, I’d tell Dave to “please shut up.”

This isn’t about Gus Johnson. It is about Fox!! Fox has made the decision to put a new voice to soccer in America. Gus Johnson is the messenger…not the decision maker. He has been put in a near impossible situation.

Fox is messing with us…not Johnson. I admire Johnson’s intestinal fortitude to even try this. He has a successful career already. Personally, I don’t care for his style in calling football or basketball, but that is not the point. He is doing what his boss tells him to do. He is doing it to the best of his ability.

Again, Johnson is just the messenger. Fox management, or lack there of, has put him in this situation.

As per most of the comments GJ is lacking experience.
I personally really detest that stacatto style of speaking.
“The ball is out of play. By Arteta. Throw in. ”
But if I was convinced he knew the game I might be able to live with it.
What galls me is that he’s given the high profile games to practice on. Fox has a great opportunity to bleed him – Europa Cup games.
The less said about the current commentary on those games the better. But if they feel he has potential, why on earth start him out on the high viewership games – let him learn the craft first.

This is Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated take back in October 21, 2011, the day Fox was awarded the Men’s and Women’s World Cup coverage:

Can Fox come close to the quality of ESPN’s World Cup 2010 coverage? A lot can change in the next seven years before Fox’s World Cup ’18 moment: individual commentators, philosophies, even the landscape of sports television. But based on their recent treatment of the biggest soccer events (ESPN for World Cup ’10 and Fox for the UEFA Champions League final), Fox has a long way to go to catch ESPN when it comes to smart, high-quality coverage of the world’s most popular sport. ESPN treated viewers of South Africa 2010 like adults and never dumbed down the presentation as Fox did during this year’s Champions League final with inane features on Michael Strahan comparing football and soccer and Gerard Piqué’s relationship with Shakira. I’m willing to keep an open mind on Fox, but soccer watchers in America already have big issues with Fox and need to see some improvement.

brought back memories of Michael, Beckham, and a botched story about Joe Cole calling Prince William a geezer, and the then the question, on air… what is a geezer. 2006 WC was the low we had since the 94 cup.
I don’t care where you are from, just don’t distract from the match, and like bad refs, that is what bad commentary does. distract.

Todays champions league game definitely highlighted the gulf between Gus and what good commentating for football is, it was a pleasure to listen to, even alan smith was a delight compared to barton.

Fog’s analogy to athletes and the speed of the game makes sense, but his comments about the understanding of the game are more precise as to what is at the root of any new voice (In this case gus) to the game IF they have no real background and real understanding of the flow, tactics or history, let alone vernacular, ten they will always be chasing the game, they cant anticipate or know when to build tension.

How naive of fox to think that “commentating is commentating” if you can do one sport you can do them all, it’s quite evident it’s the position of the decision makers at fox.

Gus as an individual is probably excited by the challenge, but he is in no way being set up for success by fox, its trial by fire and its is NOT working out, all that is going to happen is his confidence is gonna take a mauling, one he may not recover from. Who is he going to learn of, do fox genuinely believe that just giving him the champion s league games the next 4 years that he will just get better for the world cup?

He is so bad he needs more than that, he needs and internship at sky, sit next to tyler for a few years and practice in his hotel room and play back the tape to tyler for review.

Tyler can be his Miagi, talk on talk off! up in pitch, down in pitch, fact…tidbit… fact… tidbit… anecdote..react to a play..back to anecdote… and so on. fox could do another reality show off it, they love those!

Maybe after all that tutoring he will be great.. but as it stands…no no no no no

It is interesting to see how Fox is handling their commentators this week. Fox also has NASCAR’s biggest event…the Daytona 500…this week.

Interestingly enough, they do not have any “new” commentators. Or any commentators that are not from the sport. Fox knows that they cannot mess with NASCAR fans.

If they tried the stunt with their broadcast team for NASCAR that they have pulled with the American soccer fans, they know that they would be crucified!!! The press would crucify them, the fans would crucify them and most importantly, to them, their sponsors (read $$$$) would crucify them.

I guess we need to put soccer in perspective on the American sports landscape. Like it or not, Fox feels safe that they can screw with the soccer fan.

And yes, today I will be watching Danica “live” and recording the Europa League matches.

Anyone who watched the Spurs v Lyon match today heard American commentator John Strong do an excellent job…and therein lies the problem. Why is Fox throwing a novice like Gus Johnson into this when they already have someone infinitely better on hand?

If they want an American voice in the big matches give them to Strong or someone else who already knows his stuff and let Johnson learn his craft in lesser ones.

It ends up coming down to money. FOX thinks that Gus Johnson will increase viewership. Unfortunately they don’t care whether he’s perfect or not. They care about the number of eyeballs watching games so they can demand more for advertising.

actually he didn’t he called the Dembele goal Livermore’s initially and later refereed to the Lyon goal as from Umtitti (who scored in game 1) instead of Ganalons. I also found his presentation a bit pedestrian and boring-He was confused several times on game action, if Johnson made the same errors we’d be having a hissy fit to the 10th degree. Do I think Johnson was great last game? no but in game 1 he was ok and in the end it’s not that deep. I can’t get too worked up if Fox is trying to create attention and develop an American broadcaster for the sport in this country. They’re damned if they do damned if they don’t. If they don’t try and do things to build the sport then they get hit with that. The tv viewer they are reaching out to is the American basketball and football fan who isn’t steeped in English tradition. Of course the British broadcasters are superior, the point is we need to start building our tradition not just chase the English game around. Personally I think the truly bold move would be installing an Hispanic pbp voice. I’m not going to be one of the sheep who gets upset over every little thing media tells us to get upset about -that’s my objection and I don’t think there’s enough time being given to looking at other side of it.

Most of the negative commentary is about Johnson’s lack of knowledge/experience and the fact that he is being given big matches in which to practice, rather than work his way up. There are American commentators, such as Strong, already more qualified for the task. Exactly, what would be the “other side” we should be looking at?

I’m an American and I would rather have a British announce just for the accent. The game is being played over there. Let their people announce it. It’s just something about the accent that makes it a more authentic broadcast. Maybe there will be a great American announcer in the future, until then I would rather here a British announcer.

As for the talk about how announcers shouldn’t get excited over goals and how they should talk about the tactics… do you not watch soccer as entertainment? You have to admit soccer is not the MOST exciting sport to watch for 90 minutes. so when those couple goals happen, the announcer SHOULD get excited. i’m pretty sure scoring goals is the most important part of the game. talk about the tactics during the replays, but when the goals happen, I want to hear the announcer really get into it. maybe not to the extreme level spanish announcers do for goals, but they should be excited.

And this brings me back to the accent subject. hearing a British announcer describe a goal is so much better than when Americans do, and i believe the accent has a major impact on that. Maybe it’s cause i’m American and the accent is novel to me but anytim I hear a British accent, I think of soccer. Obviously, i think the accent plays a big part in the broadcast of the game.(plus let me remind you I am American therefore i’d rather hear Gus commentating March Madness and football cause I think he’s one of the best in those sports)

OMG this guy is terrible. If the camera shows a player being happy or sad because he scored or conceded a goal, I want a commentator to explain why he is like that. What he did good or bad. HThe commentator needs to feel the game. I don’t need to know how many goals he scored or conceded in the year and his entire career in all competitions. Stop this stats nonsense. Soccer is all about passion, and this guy has none.

Why is Fox trying to Americanize the Premiership? Would you want watch the NFL with English announcers on Sky? And get rid of those 3 stooges in th studio!! Can’t wait for NBC covering the Premiership next season!

Guys named Gus fly rockets they don’t call football. Any game called by an American gets muted in my house. Case in point today’s Europa games. His comparison to basketball was the final nail in the coffin, I almost shot the TV. I will be cancelling my cable service and moving on. Best of luck.

I don’t have a problem with an American doing play by play, but to this point I have heard only two that have some talent. JP Delacamera is no Ian Darke but he gets the job done. I was really impressed with Beth Mowins during the women’s world cup, but I feel like some people would have a problem with the fact that she is a woman.

it’s not the accent, you boob. your insistence that football supporters would enjoy a match commentated by Hugh Grant or David Cameron tells us everything we need to know about your connection to the sport, your ability to commentate, and FoxSports’ concern for its audience. Hugh Grant might actually not be too bad.